Bee-eater Merops apiaster [Linnaeus, 1758] |
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Other Names
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Trends & Distribution
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Breeding & Survival
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Biometrics
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Books & Links
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For details point at or click the |
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Order:
Coraciiformes
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Family: Meropidae |
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BTO Codes:
MZ, BEEEA
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EURING No: 8400 | |
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Number in Britain:
38 records/year
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Conservation Status:
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Status in UK:
(A) Scarce Visitor, Has Bred
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Subspecies:
Monotypic
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Length:
28 cm
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Wingspan: 46 cm |
Weight:
M/F: 61 g
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Scientific name from:
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Gr.: merops=the bee-eater and L.: apiastra=the bee-eater (from apis=a bee) |
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World Distribution:
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s&c Europe, n Africa, s&c Asia, s Africa, WINTERS: sub-Saharan Africa, w India |
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Habitat:
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Open country, woodland, farmland |
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Diet:
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Flying insects, esp. bees and wasps, these rubbed against perch to discharge sting |
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TitBit:
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Bee-eaters require around 225 bees a day when they are raising their young; they first rub the bees on their perch to remove the sting. |
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Population and Distribution |
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British Population Size:
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| Passage: 38 individuals | ||||||
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First Record:
1668
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First Breeding Record:
Sussex 1955
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Conservation Status:
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Previous Assessments:
2002-2007
Not Assessed
1996-2001
Not Assessed
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Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
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| No habitat data from BBS | ||||||
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European Population Size:
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Summer:
280 to 600 thousand pairs
(Trend in Numbers)
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Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
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Distribution in Europe
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Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I), Bern(III), Bonn(II)
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Breeding and Survival |
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Egg Size:
26 x 22 mm
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Egg Weight: 6.5 g (of which 6 % is shell) | ||
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Number of Nest Records:
0
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Clutch Size:
6 - 7 eggs
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Incubation:
20 days
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by the: Male + Female |
Fledging:
Unavailable
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as:
Altricial, naked
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First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
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Number of Broods:
1
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Number Ringed:
0
(Annual Totals)
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Adult Survival:
No data
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Juvenile Survival:
No data
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Age at First Breeding:
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Typical Lifespan:
No data
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Maximum Recorded Age:
Too few birds ringed
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Summary of Ringing Recoveries
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Biometrics |
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Ring Size:
Check with Ringing Unit
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Wing Length
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Adult: | Insufficient Data | ||
| Juvenile: | Insufficient Data | |||
| Male: | Insufficient Data | |||
| Female: | Insufficient Data | |||
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Weight
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Adult: | Insufficient Data | ||
| Juvenile: | Insufficient Data | |||
| Male: | Insufficient Data | |||
| Female: | Insufficient Data | |||
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Other Names |
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| European Bee-eater | |
| Gaelic: | Welsh: Gwybedog y Gwenyn |
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Danish:
Biæder
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Dutch: Bijeneter |
| Finnish: Mehiläissyöjä | French: Guêpier d´Europe |
| German: Bienenfresser | Hungarian: Gyurgyalag |
| Icelandic: Býsvelgur | Irish: Beachadóir Eorpach |
| Italian: Gruccione | Norwegian: Bieter |
| Polish: Zolna zielona zwyczajna | Portuguese: Abelharuco-comum |
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Spanish:
Abejaruco
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Swedish: Biätare |
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For More Information... |
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Books and Monographs:
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| No books written recently | |
| See Also: | |
Find scientific papers on  Google Scholar
or  Scirus by clicking the icon
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Wikipedia entry
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BirdLife species page
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Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
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State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
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